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During a recent raid on a wholesale centre in Guangzhou city, the capital of China ‘s Guangdong
province, a large quantity of fake eggs was seized.

Their wholesale price is 0.15 yuan (S$0.03) each – half the price of a real egg.

Consumers have a hard time telling a genuine egg from a fake one. This is good news for unscrupulous entrepreneurs, who are even conducting three-day courses in the production of artificial eggs for less than S$150. A reporter with Hong Kong-based Chinese magazine East Week enrolled in one such course.

To create egg white, the instructor – a woman in her 20s – used assorted ingredients such as gelatin, an unknown powder, benzoic acid, coagulating material and even alum, which is normally used for industrial processes.

For egg yolk, some lemon-yellow colouring powder is mixed to a liquid and the concoction stirred. The liquid is then poured into a round-shaped plastic mould and mixed with so-called ‘magic water’, which contains calcium chloride.

This gives the ‘yolk’ a thin outer membrane, firming it up. The egg is then shaped with a mould. The shell is not forgotten. Paraffin wax and an unidentified white liquid are poured onto the fake egg, which is then left to dry.

The artificial egg can be fried sunny-side up or steamed. Although bubbles appear on the white of the egg, those who have tasted it say the fake stuff tastes very much like the real thing.

But experts warn of the danger of eating fake eggs. Not only do they not contain any nutrients, a Hong Kong Chinese University professor warned that long-term consumption of alum could cause dementia

To make the egg white, various ingredients, including a powder and alum, are mixed together.

The ‘yolk’ is shaped in the round mould. ‘Magic water’ containing calcium chloride is used.

Hardy shells are formed by pouring paraffin wax and a liquid onto the egg, which are then left to dry.

China’s Fake Eggs Made of Plastic

Analysis:

The messages warn that fake eggs are being sold in China, and are made from harmful, waste plastic material that can damage the health of the consumers. Yes, it is a fact. These fake eggs are being sold in China markets since many years, and they are made of chemicals and food additives.

Real and Fake Eggs

It was recently reported that the fake eggs sold in China are made of waste plastic leftovers from factories and other man-made, artificial chemicals. The Chinese citizens have found these fake plastic eggs to smell and burn like plastic when they tried to fry them. A citizen named Wang said that he bought 1 kg of eggs from a shop in his residential community, and found that there were three fake eggs mixed in them. When Wang tried to break the eggs for cooking, he noticed that an egg was hard like a rock. After he broke the egg, he found the albumen in the egg has solidified and the color also appeared yellow. He then tried to cook it and see how it turns. In about 20 minutes of cooking, the egg yolk became very flexible, and when dropped on the ground, it could bounce up to 20 cm high.

Issue of Fake Eggs in China

This issue of fake eggs is not new in China, it has been happening since many years. You do not need a chicken to produce egg in China, you will only need a few man-made chemicals like sodium agla acid, water, gelatine, baifan, sodium benzoate, lactone, carboxymethyl cellulose, calcium carbide, lysine, food coloring agent, calcium chloride, paraffin wax, and gypsum powder. This has been a business in China markets. A Japanese journalist secretly investigated into the issue of fake eggs made from chemicals in China, and revealed more shocking facts. It is not just the eggs that are faked, also grapes and the popular food in china – pig intestine. The investigative video shows a man actually preparing these fake food items, including eggs.

The video suggests that these fake, artificial eggs came into China market just before the Beijing Olympics in 2008. However there are also such reports dating back to 2003. There is also a related report in the Internet Journal of Toxicology, which clearly explained how to prepare these fake eggs, and also addressed the seriousness of the issue. These fake eggs are reported to have started appearing in some poor regions of northern and central China initially, and soon spread across the country. As reported by the Chinese fake food products expert in the video, these man-made fake eggs, and the food security in general is a growing problem in China.

Fake Grapes in China

In 2012, Chinese authorities have in fact investigated into these fake egg claims and confirmed the issue. Not just the eggs, grapes and pork are faked, there are also other concerns with china food industry. There have been reports of fake cooking oil and watermelons to have exploded because they are fed too much fertilizers. In 2008, nearly 300,000 children became ill and six died after drinking powdered milk treated with an industrial chemical called melamine.

Fake Grapes in China

Health Effects of Eating Fake Eggs

When these fake eggs are made with harmful chemicals and waste plastic materials from factories, they are sure to damage the health of people who eat them. Long-term consumption of these fake eggs can lead to many health problems like memory loss or dementia.

So it is important for the consumers to identify and differentiate these fake eggs from real ones.

How to Differentiate Fake Eggs

Sniff the eggs for the characteristic odour of real chicken eggs, that smells somewhat like raw meat.

A fake egg’s shell will generally be more shinier than the real one.

In fake eggs, the egg yolk will generally be thin and egg white will also be thin, similar to water, and after opening the egg, they will soon mix together. There will be no thin layer of skin in the egg shell.

When you shake a fake egg, you should hear some noises, because the chemical water inside overflows from the solid agent.

When you fry a fake egg, the yolk will spread by itself, without being touched.

So one should be careful in what they buy and eat. To get healthy food is the basic right of every citizen of every country, so such faking and adulteration of food should be treated as serious crime! Only then, we can think of a healthy future for us and our future generations.